15 December 2014: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has circulated, at the request of the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), an invitation to review and comment on one of the initial outputs of a project implemented by UNEP on ‘Improving the effectiveness of and cooperation among biodiversity-related conventions and exploring opportunities for further synergies.’

The project is exploring options for further synergies in implementing the six major biodiversity-related conventions at all relevant levels, with a view to improving their effectiveness through enhanced cooperation. One of the initial outputs is a draft ‘options paper,’ prepared following an expert meeting held from 26-28 August 2014, in Interlaken, Switzerland, which presents initial opportunities and options to further enhance collaboration and cooperation at the global level. A key observation of the paper is that advancing the development of comprehensive and coherent national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) that take into account and promote synergies across the biodiversity-related conventions is a prerequisite for enhancing coordination and synergy as well as for effective implementation. Options are structured under sections on: NBSAPs and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and Aichi Targets; reporting, monitoring and indicators; the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and strengthening the science-policy interface; information management and awareness raising; capacity building; funding and resource efficiency; and institutional collaboration.

It is recalled that the six major biodiversity-related conventions are the CBD, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR), the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), and the World Heritage Convention. [CBD Notification] [Outcomes of the first multi-stakeholder expert meeting on elaboration of options for synergies among biodiversity-related Multilateral Environmental Agreements] [Expert Meeting Report]